A Brother's Pain
by Cyclone227
Summary: It was not their first battle. Who would have known it would be their last? "You are a fool, Thor." "I know." Series of one-shots between Thor and Loki, with various other Avengers thrown into the mix.
1. Chapter 1

This was not their first battle; but why did Thor's heart clench so much with every punch, every harsh word his brother threw his way?

"Please Loki, we must stop before-"

"Before what, Thor? Before one of us gets _killed_?" Loki chuckled, then spit blood into the dirt. His face was skinned down to the bone on his left cheek, his cloak torn and blood shot eyes crazed. Thor blanched, his face ashen. He glanced around once, silently hoping that the metal man, Tony Stark, would appear and assist him, or Bruce's green, massive body would come crashing through the wall of concrete rubble around them.

No help came.

Moments later, Loki rushed forward, his spear raised, eyes blazing; countering the attack, Thor swung Mjolnir toward Loki's face and squeezed his eyes shut.

The impact sent them both sprawling backwards. A sickening crack echoed throughout Thor's body when his arm snapped on impact. Crying out, he released his hammer and struggled to raise his head. Yards away, he could just make out the blood-stained green cloak of his brother still billowing softly in the wind. A soft gasp escaped his lips as the world around him went silent. New York City had never been so deadly quiet.

"Loki!" Thor screamed. No reply.

"Brother, answer me!"

Silence.

Storm clouds swirled overhead as the god of thunder stumbled, even crawled, over to the green cape. Loki lay underneath, his skin pale, eyes half closed. He managed a sneer at the sight of Thor, and even laughed softly. "I always knew it would end this way, brother. I'm just sorry you still love me, even after all I have done to you." Thor's lip trembled.

"I will always love you, Loki. You are my brother."

"You are a fool, Thor."

"I know."

Loki smiled once more, but this time, he seemed happy; his emerald green eyes shut finally.

Falling to his knees, Thor gathered his broken brother into his arms and sobbed as the storm finally began.

* * *

Hi everyone! Don't worry, this story will be updated soon!

(And just so you know, it is my first fanfiction, so please be nice and review!)

*I do not own these Marvel characters.*

.


	2. Author's Note

Hi everyone!

After much deliberation, I have decided that I am going to change where I am going with this story. Instead of a chapter story, I am going to post various Thor/Loki one-shots under this story. Hopefully I haven't disappointed those of you who were wanting me to continue with the direction I was orginially going. Please do let me know what you think when I post the next one-shot! :)

Sincerely,

Cyclone


	3. Chapter 3

Sweat beaded on Thor's brow from exertion; one wrong move, and it could all be over. Perhaps he should have listened to his father's words of warning before taking on such an insurmountable task.

Wait, what was he thinking? He was Thor, future king of Asgard; he could survive any battle!

"Check." Loki smirked, his emerald eyes twinkling in amusement. "Your move, brother; I hope you make a wise choice this time."

Huffing angrily, Thor's gaze moved to the tiny, crystal figurines on the table in front of him. Each one had been delicately carved out of the bridge's crystalline structure years ago by Odin himself and given to Loki as a gift; Thor could remember the surprised smile that had graced his brother's features that day. It warmed his heart to think about it, and for a moment, he forgot the task at hand.

"Brother, please, I would like to finish the match some time _today." _

Thor's king landed with a definitive _tap _in a safe position behind some of his strongest pieces.

"Ha!" Thor shouted, feeling victorious. "There is no way you can get the best of me now, brother, for my king still lives!"

A throaty laugh was the only response from Loki, who was busy scanning the board with his eyes, trying to pinpoint an opening for his next strike.

A minute ticked by; Thor sat with his arms crossed over his broad chest, his grin growing broader with every passing moment. Perhaps he had finally beaten Loki at his own game.

Across the table, Loki shifted in his chair, and smirking, raised his eyes to meet Thor's blue ones. Clearing his throat, the dark-haired prince reached for his dazzling queen, the one piece he had always prized, and moved.

Thor's jaw dropped as he watched his valiant king tumble and crack against the wooden board.

"Checkmate. _I win._"

"But . . . That is not _fair!_"

"I win. Now, would you care to play again?"

Thor pursed his lips, and after a moment, slammed his massive fists against the table and cried, "Yes! We shall play another game, and I shall be the one victorious this time, brother!"

Loki's eyes narrowed, but his lips were turned up in a smile.

"Alright, Thor. Let's see who is king this time."

Thus began another chess match between the two princes of Asgard.

* * *

Here you are, my second installment in my one-shot series featuring Thor and Loki! Yes, they are playing chess; who knows, maybe chess originated in Asgard, and they were kind enough to pass the game onto us Midgardians!

Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please comment and review!

Major shout-out to F.B. Brambling, for once again being an outstanding reviewer and friend! Without her, I probably never would have continued working on this story.

Another shoutout to my friend one-small-word, who deserves credit for giving me the idea of a story composed of one-shots.

I promise I will update with the next one-shot soon! If you have a particular Avenger you would like to be featured in one of the stories, just leave me a review!


	4. Chapter 4

Tony groaned, his head pounding furiously. His fingers curled around the toilet's hard edges as he struggled to keep down his lunch. His lungs were burning, and with every bloody cough he could feel his body growing weaker and weaker.

Suddenly the bathroom floor looked extremely inviting, and with a soft grunt, Tony's body collided with the cool tile. It provided some momentary relief for his burning skin, but it still wasn't enough.

This is what I get for saving the world,

Tony thought miserably.

A freaking chest infection.

His bedroom was a mere ten feet away, but the thought of dirtying up his newly-installed white carpet made him grimace. Pepper would surely throw a fit.

Well, if I do happen to vomit, at least I can afford dry-cleaning.

Tony laughed aloud; it came out like a hoarse wheeze. He grimaced.

Minutes later, Tony was lying on his back in the middle of the bedroom. He was just too weak to pull himself onto the bed. It seemed all was lost. "At least I bothered to prepare my will early on in life," Tony sighed.

In all seriousness, though, he felt like crap, and he had no idea when Pepper was going to be back from the numerous errands he had sent her on that day.

"Sir, you have a caller on the line."

"Oh, hey Jarvis. I wondered if you were still with me. Who is it?"

"It is Ms. Natasha Romanoff. She says her message is urgent."

"Tell her I can't talk right now."

"But sir-"

"If she needs to talk to me that badly, than tell her to drive over here. And bring some chicken noodle soup."

"Alright, sir."

An hour later . . .

"Wow," said Tony. "I can't believe you actually brought the soup!"

Sighing, Natasha brushed a lock of bright red hair out of her eyes and leaned back in Tony's leather recliner. She watched in amusement as the millionaire tucked himself into the loveseat, pulled a blanket across his lap, and proceeded to slurp the soup. He was such a funny individual.

"So," he asked between spoonfuls of noodles, "What's up?"

"Thor has invited us to Asgard for Loki's trial."

"Oh." Tony seemed at a loss for words. He had definitely _not _been expecting that. In fact, he was totally caught off guard, for once.

"Erm . . . Is that really a good idea?"

"I . . ." Natasha began, but after a beat of silence, she sighed. "It's not that I don't care what happens to that monster. Honestly, if I could, I'd take justice into my own hands and kill him. I'm just-"

"Tired?" Tony said. "Cuz I certainly am. I'm so damn tired, Natasha, and I just want to try to forget what happened in New York, at least for a little while so I can get my life back together."

Natasha gaped. He was dead serious. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yes, Tony. I'm tired, and just like you, I want to forget about Loki and the mess he made."

"Then what do we do? What are Bruce and Steve doing? I doubt that Clint's getting involved."

"Clint told me that he'd go along with whatever decision I make. As for Bruce and Steve, I'm not sure."

"So it's up to us, huh?" The smile on Tony's face looked more like a grimace.

Natasha nodded solemnly, her jaw clenched.

At that moment, a violent cough erupted from Tony's chest; he doubled over in pain, blood spattering his hands. In a flash, Natasha was at his side, helping him stand and guiding him to the door.

"Before we make our decision, though," she said, pulling her keys from her pocket, "Let's get you to a hospital."

"I agree. Let's take my car, its faster."

* * *

_This story is dedicated to F.B. Brambling. She was the inspiration for this story, as well. :) I hope you are feeling better, my friend, and thanks for inspiring me! :)_

_Thor and Loki are only mentioned in this one, but if I decide to make a part two to this, then they will be featured in the next part. _

_Please comment and review! I love criticism, good and bad, if it helps me improve my writing. _


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